“There are 46 countries and territories around the world and all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia represented in the voting pool for LEED v4, which includes an extraordinarily diverse group of industry professionals, manufacturers, educators, and other green-building leaders,” Joel Ann Todd, chair of the LEED Steering Committee, said. “USGBC sets a very high bar for a rating system to be approved. The rating system must earn a significant percentage of the overall vote (66.7 percent), as well as a majority approval from each of the various LEED stakeholder groups.”

Overall, 86 percent voted in favor of adopting LEED v4. In the user category of the voting body, 90 percent voted in favor of adoption, while in the general-interest and producer categories, 77 percent and 89 percent, respectively, did.

“This update of LEED builds on the past while offering new requirements, preparing all LEED projects to achieve higher levels of building performance and positive environmental outcomes,” Scot Horst, senior vice president of LEED, USGBC, said. “This newest version of LEED challenges the market to make the next leap toward better, cleaner, healthier buildings. I am confident that people will also notice the improved usability of the system, with an improved documentation process and more resources and tools to assist and support positive action.”